Skunk problem
 

We have skunks around the property & would appreciate help from those that have tried & proven success with 'known' solutions of how to get rid of them?

Other than paying for a wildlife removal service,

I've already done the google, suggestions are Mothballs & leaving or putting strong lights on in areas & around the house

Thanks

Re: Skunk problem
 

Fox pee.

Seriously.

Sold in the hunting section of big-box sports shops.

Wear gloves.

Re: Skunk problem
 

We have had good results with live traps and releasing them a good distance away.
The trick is to throw a cloth over the trap when you pick it up .
I was told by a local that skunks have a homing instinct and will travel back so release them at least 5 miles away.

Re: Skunk problem
 

In our area (CA, East Bay) there is some local county authority that will come out and set traps and do the removal for free. However, I was told they would kill the animals so I wasn't comfortable with that.

I've been in the house for 21 years now, and we have a variety of critters visiting us / living under our deck, including raccoons, skunks, and even a family of foxes one year. Deer also congregate, and recently we've seen a family of wild Turkeys hanging around. Not once have we had any 'incidents' with the skunks ... although we don't have cats/dogs, and that may be a difference for you.


Skunks are very cool animals and I enjoy seeing them around. Raccoons are also super smart and can get into just about anything. I have learned to really appreciate all this wildlife, and feel that introducing a pet (cat/dog) into the mix would be asking for trouble.

Re: Skunk problem
 

I haven't seen our skunk since the racoons moved in. I know the racoons killed the possum because I found the skeleton. So I'm not sure if getting rid of skunks would allow other vermin to move in. I think the facts that we have cats keeps a lot away from the house.

Re: Skunk problem
 

This. Get yourself an "outdoor" cat or two, from the local shelter. We call it "applied ecology". :lol: ...... It also works for snakes - because the cats remove or discourage the potential snake food. :nod:
Under CA law animal/pest services are not allowed to move live animals to a different location. I suspect that many/most states have a similar law. .... If you get your own traps you can, of course, just ignore the law. That said, I would be very wary about moving skunks even in the open bed of my truck - the stink of skunk spray is unbelievable.

Re: Skunk problem
 

Cannabis aroma will help mask the skunk smell.

I hate driving over skunks on the road, the smell carries for miles

Re: Skunk problem
 

That might help in the PNW, but smelling of weed creates other problems in my neck of the woods. :unsure:
I hear tomato pulp is good for removing / neutralizing the smell.

Re: Skunk problem
 

I have heard tomato juice is good. My wife said they had to bathe their dog in tomato juice when he tried playing with a skunk.

Re: Skunk problem
 

Don't know how I did it, but I somehow learned to enjoy the skunk smell! I wouldn't want it on my clothing, but driving past a dead skunk on the road is now a positive experience :) . It's all in the mind ...

Re: Skunk problem
 

Some cannabis smells very similar to skunk spray - there is a reason that cannabis is sometimes known as "skunk". .... A studenty-looking youth has got on the bus I ride two or three times, and the stench about him is unreal! :blink:

Re: Skunk problem
 

I hope you didn't spray him with essence of tomato

Re: Skunk problem
 

I wasn't carrying a bucket of tomato juice and pulp that day, .... though I wish I had been.

Re: Skunk problem
 

Me too. :unsure:

Re: Skunk problem
 

Have you tried spraying around the property with pepper spray? Easily made at home - spray it on bushes etc. around the boundary.

How to Get Rid of Animal Pests With Hot Pepper Spray